In the age of AI, design can be generated in 10 seconds. So, what is the role of designers today? Are design systems creating coherence or making designers replaceable? And if a design can’t be built, is it bad engineering, bad design, or something else?

In this episode of Our Design Diaries, I speak with five SAP designers to unpack three uncomfortable questions facing design today.

They explain that designers remain steadfast advocates for users, why empathy and problem-solving are uniquely human strengths, how design systems create coherence at scale, and why the real reason behind unbuildable designs is often a lack of collaboration.

Listen to learn why designers remain the ones shaping meaningful user experiences as AI accelerates.

Thank you for sharing your perspectives: Emil Voutta, Gülcin Yurdatapan, Jan Cantzler, Marisa Wollner, Natalie Stainton, Philip Miseldine

In the age of AI, how important is user research? Is UX research just a way to validate our own assumptions, or does it play a deeper role in shaping product strategy? And as AI adoption grows, how exciting is the future for UX researchers really?

In this episode of Our Design Diaries, I speak with eight SAP UX researchers to unpack four questions facing user research today.

They share why UX research is not about validating assumptions, what user insights continue to surprise, how user research drives product strategy, and what the future of UX research looks like, from artificial users to researchers evolving into strategic partners.

Listen to learn how UX researchers keep humans at the center of product innovation as technology accelerates.

Thank you for sharing your perspectives: Alina Uvaeva, Alexandra Matz, Andy Echenique, Ellie Kemery, Eric Mahlstedt, Kathrin Paimann, Leonie Dietterle, Miray Kubilay

Are AI tools replacing UX designers or giving them superpowers? Should designers rush to learn every new AI tool, or double down on core design principles? And what does it really take to stay relevant as AI systems begin to design, prototype and even strategize on their own?

In this episode of Our Design Diaries, I speak with Pablo Stanley, Designer at Vercel, to explore the excitement and unease UX designers feel as AI reshapes design workflows.

Pablo shares how AI is changing which designers get hired, how it impacts UX skill gaps, and why adaptability, not perfection, is the most critical skill for designers right now.

We discuss AI as a creative collaborator, how UX designers can avoid becoming tool operators, why fundamentals matter more than ever, and what it means to stay nimble as intelligent systems accelerate beyond traditional workflows.

Listen to learn how UX designers can use AI to amplify their work, focus on higher-order creative tasks, and shape meaningful user experiences in a world where intelligence is no longer just human.